Our trip to the 'Red Centre' was better than either of us could have ever expected. We started by flying to Sydney and than onto Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock). We flew for hours over the desert with no signs of any buildings or homes giving us some perspective on just how far away from everything Uluru is.
Trev spotted 2 whales as we were landing in Sydney
Downtown Sydney and Harbour Bridge
Flying over the red desert.
View of Uluru from our room
For our first night we booked the Sounds of Silence dinner. I was unsure whether or not we were going to enjoy ourselves after finding many mixed reviews online (and whether or not it was going to be worth the $185/person price tag!) We were pleasantly surprised. The evening started with a tour bus ride from the resort down a red dirt road into the dessert. We were served canapes and champagne while standing on top of a sand dune watching the sun set over Kata Tjuta (also known as The Olgas; it is the other rock formation in the area) and the colors of Uluru change as the sun went down.
After the sun had set we were led down a path to our dinner location. Beautiful tables set with candle light just below the dune with a view of Kata Tjuta in front of us and Uluru behind us. We enjoyed a buffet dinner of Kangaroo, Lamb, Crocodile and Barramundi while a Didgeridoo played. After dinner we watched an aboriginal dance performance. Than the star talker arrived and spoke of the different constellations using an high powered laser pointer to point them out to us. The star talk was fascinating and ended with us viewing the moon and a galaxy through their telescopes. The night ended with desserts and tea and everyone ready for a nice warm shower and bed... most of us were surprised by how cold the dessert gets after dark including Trevor and his new besty, Mike from Sydney, who shared a table cloth to stay warm!
Road out to the dinner location
Uluru selfie with my hunny!
Sun setting over Kata Tjuta (aka The Olgas)
Last light as we settle in at our dinner tables. Trev and Mike enjoying the sunset together :)
The next morning we headed out to The Olgas for the 2.6km Walpa Gorge walk and the 7.4km Valley of the Winds hike. The Valley of the Winds circuit was actually pretty tricky in areas with steep rocky climbs and descents. area is known for being over run with flies and getting extremely hot during the day. We were lucky to have a cooler day (mid 20's) and a light wind to keep the flies down. After the hike we headed to the cultural center to read of the Aboriginal stories and view their paintings.
Kata Tjuta
Walpa Gorge at Kata Tjuta
Valley of the Winds hike at Kata Tjuta
Trevor and I spotted a massive lizard dragon thingy at one of the water stations
That evening we headed over to one of the other hotel lobbies at the resort for a laid back unique dinner. You select your raw protein from the counter to BBQ yourself. It includes an all you can eat salad bar, potatoes, veggies and Apple & Plum Crumble. It unfortunately wasn't very good at all but it was still fun!
You select your protein from the counter to BBQ yourself. Trev got the "Outback", Kangaroo skewer, Crocodile skewer, Buffalo Sausage, Emu Sausage and Beef Sausage.
The next morning we got up bright and early for a sunrise at Uluru. After taking some photos at the sunrise lookout we headed to the rock for our 10.6+km walk around the rock.
Driving to the lookout at first light.
Sunrise
Sun rising changing the colors of Uluru. Kata Tjuta way off in the distance.
We learned that Uluru is actually grey but is rusting
from the wind and rain giving it its red appearance.
Trev
Mutitjulu Waterhole
Anangu paintings near the waterhole
Kulpi Minymaku (Kitchen Cave)
Kulpi Nyiinkaku (Teaching Cave)
Kulpi Nyiinkaku (Teaching Cave)
After our hike we had to rush over to the Camel Farm for our Camel ride. I was nervous about the ride when I realized how tall the camels where and the awkward way in which they stand up once your on them. I was also worried about two of us being on one camel but it turns out that they can carry 600kg's (several times their own body weight) so we were no big deal to them. The girl guiding the tour told us several stories about each camel and their individual personalities which we really enjoyed.
Trev showing our camel some love
Rex - the camel behind ours was really cuddly but
because of his hay fever kept sneezing on Trev
We really had the best time at Uluru and would encourage anyone to visit the area. It is a really beautiful place and my only regret is that we didn't stay longer :)
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